One day I'll remember to take pictures when it is all done.

 

Luckily other people got pictures of the spread at the vigil.  I made peach bourbon thumbprints from a jam a friend had given me which I think worked very well, but I should have smushed the balls down farther to get more jam in them.  The Andes mint chocolate cookies were phenomenal! Especially straight out of the oven, extra gooey.  Snickerdoodles were from a kit, but still worth it.  Espresso buttons, because of course.  And some peanutbutter chocolate chip balls in the sewing kit. So, so many cookies. I'm kinda sad now I didn't take any home.  I can transcribe the recipes later from the cookbook if anybody wants them.

Cheese, also, is my love language, and I got several goudas in Sint Maarten on my cruise.  Garlic, green pesto, red pesto, black pepper, red pepper, limoncello, and coffee.  So freaking good.

I also pickled eggs like the madwoman I am.  I started pickling six of the recipes before I left, but had to make the soy brined ones the week before so that they didn't disintegrate.  I was in such a fugue state last week that I didn't realize I was hardboiling two dozen instead of just one, needing the second dozen eggs for all the cookies >.> So back to the store I went.  Caleb sent me this recipe for hard boiled egg chocolate chip cookies last week that I definitely need to try some day! 

Next, I made a banner (imagine it with scowling eyes and solid yellow fleur de lis).  I made a point of bringing my sewing machine so that I could hem it once I'd gotten the stand from Patrick, so of course I packed the wrong pedal.  Technically I packed exactly the pedal I was intending to pack, but grabbed the wrong machine instead.  In the end, Steph and AJ came in clutch and helped me baste it on to the pole.

My biggest source of anxiety was adding the pleated collar to the partlet (and then beading it, but that was the easy part).  I started to pleat on the boat but was doing the folds too small and had to redo them once I was stateside again.  I think it took me about ten hours to do the two or so yards?  I used my hair straightener with great success last Sunday.  It then took about two hours to roll the hem, and maybe an hour to tack it on on both sides of the pleats.  There was a very lovely laurel chain that I started to add, but it was too busy and we removed it Friday night.  Last change was to barely wet the inside blade of the pleats so they wouldn't be so scratchy up against the neck.

Was it my best work? Not really, but I completed all of the tasks at hand and nobody will criticize my work as strongly as I do.  I wasn't expecting to have my mother stay at my house for three days after our cruise, crucial time I had originally scheduled for crafting all of this.  Alas.  In the end, I am happy with what I was able to achieve, and that I didn't have a breakdown until Sunday at 2am was also a great accomplishment.

Every Vigil Needs Eggs

And this time I think it was only 10 dozen? I learned that the easiest way to combat my ADD is to take pictures as I cook so I can go back and write up recipes, eventually.  So here are the eggs I pickled for Fede for four weeks.  Those with links were inspired by the previous vigil batch.

 

Soy, Beet, Curry, Honey, Beer, Franks, and Chili Garlic

 

For all of the recipes, put 13 hardboiled eggs into a quart sized mason jar, a couple of table spoons of seasonings, and ~ 1 cup of liquid which is half vinegar, half water (or juice or beer). Let sit for four weeks, flipping the jar upsidedown every few days and shaking so that the flavors don't settle.

1) Beer eggs

• Pumpkin Spice
• Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Evil Santa holiday Porter
• Apple Cider Vinegar
  

2) Roman Honey Anise eggs

• Honey
• Minced garlic
• Mustard seeds
• Anise
• ACV
• Water
  

3) Beet eggs

• Can of beets - mince solids, keep juice for water content
• Red pepper flakes
• Ground cinnamon
• Black pepper
• Salt
• ACV
• Water
  

4) Curry eggs

• Curry powder
• Minced garlic
• Mustard powder
• Ground ginger
• Tumeric
• ACV
• Water
  

 

5) Frank's eggs

• Frank's hotsauce
• Everything Bagel Seasoning
• ACV
• Water
   

6) Spicy Chili Crisp eggs

• Lao Gan Ma spicy chili crisp (measure with your heart (or whatever is left at the bottom of the jar))
• ACV
• Water

 

7) Soy eggs - these were only left for one week, since the salt brine likes to disintegrate the proteins in the egg

• Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Red pepper flakes
• Soy sauce
• ACV
• Sesame oil
  

Sesame seed and soy sauce eggs

• 2 dozen eggs, hard boiled and peeled
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

Boil soy sauce, water, and seasonings together.  

Add oil, vinegar, and eggs.  

Bring back up to a boil and split into two quart sized mason jars.

Refrigerate and let pickle for at least a week.

Honey and Anise pickled eggs

2 dozen eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon anise seed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup honey

Dissolve honey in water and add garlic and seeds, bring to a low boil for half an hour. Add vinegar and eggs and bring back up to temperature. Split into two quart jars and top off with more vinegar if needed.


Based on the article The Ancient History of Deviled Eggs: (emphasis mine)

According to Apicius, a collection of Roman recipes believed to have been compiled sometime between the fourth and fifth century A.D., boiled eggs were traditionally seasoned with oil, wine or broth and served with pepper and laser (which was also known as silphium, a plant driven to extinction by the first century A.D.). Another recipe called for poached eggs to be dressed with soaked pine nuts, lovage (an herb of the parsley family with an anise, celery flavor), pepper, honey, vinegar and broth.

Spicy MoFo Pickled Eggs

3 dozen eggs
4 Cups water
4 Cups distilled white vinegar
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon Pickling Spices
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon dried minced garlic
2 Tablespoons brown mustard seed
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon hot hungarian paprika
1 Cup pickled jalapeño slices, with brine

Hard boil and peel the eggs (I can't recommend the Instant Pot enough!).  Place in giant glass pickling jar.

Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, and pour over eggs.  Make sure all the solids make it in in case there is leftover liquid.

Cap, refrigerate, and let pickle for at least a week.

Beer Pickled Eggs

On the recommendation of the tea lady at the Hornwood archery event, I decided to make beer eggs. I started by hard boiling the eggs with an Instant Pot based on the recommendation of my friend Cassie.  They peeled like a dream!  Then I made pickling spice (because I was too lazy to go buy it) and followed this recipe for the actual pickling juice.  This is how I adjusted them for the jars I had that only fit 7 eggs each.  Since you aren't actually drinking the solution, the eggs should still be keto with minimal traces of carbs, but you might want to avoid if you are allergic to wheat.


INGREDIENTS

14 eggs, hard boiled and peeled

1.5 Cups white vinegar
8 oz Budweiser Reserve Copper Lager
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon pickling spice

PICKLING SPICE

1 tablespoon brown mustard seed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 bay leaf
1 mexican cinnamon stick
3 cloves (the ones you shove in oranges at christmas)
1 tbsp dried minced garlic (because I misread the clove part)
couple of shakes of nutmeg (instead of the allspice)

RECIPE

- Borrow gallon Instant Pot from friend.
- Fill with one layer of eggs (about 15) and 1 cup of water.  Close lid and vapor valve.
- Use EGG setting to hard boil eggs.  It  takes a couple of minutes to reach pressure, then it will count down 5 minutes. Once done, open valve to release steam.
- Place eggs in cold water in fridge to cool.

- Place all spices in grinder and turn into a powder. Place in air tight container. Can be stored for a month, but will lose potency with time.

- Combine vinegar, beer, parsley, and pickling spice in pot on stove and bring to a mild boil and remove from stove.

- Shell eggs, wonder how you have shelled 180 eggs this year without going to jail for murder, and divide into two jars.

- Pour liquid over eggs and try to distribute the solids evenly.

- Lid jars and place in fridge.

- Let pickle for minimum of three days.  If you go longer, flip the jars once a week so top and bottom eggs get better contact with liquid.

100 Days of SCA lite

A bunch of friends do A&S challenges, but as much as I love crafting, I also love service.  So after having taken an LOA from derby for the month of May, I realized I had done something SCAdianish every single day.  Here are some of the smaller things and a calendar I will be updating as I go.

1.  Done on April 30 instead of May 1st because I had to give out my final exam. 
• Started to plan a Spanish Trenzado coif.
2. Researched bobbin lace patterns.
3. Pulled out my pillow (purchased and last used in 2008 >.> ) and made my first foot of lace!






• 
  
4. Saturday, went to Queen's Rapier Championship
• Did some kamikaze calligraphy over someone else's art.  Not my best work, but I blame it on not having my own equipment and having to cram too many words in a very small space with a failing marker.



• 
  
5. Found out that the hat I want to make follows the pattern for a St Birgitta Coif.
6. Found patterns and fabric for the coif.
7. Went to the Spinners Guild meeting and talked with some weavers about the AEWP class I was planning. 
• Hunted down tubers for soups for sideboard.
8. Pinterest hole researching bobbin lace.  
• Found sources for weaving silk.
9. Nithgaard business meeting
• Sliced up All The Tubers.
10. CLEANED.  
• Hardboiled 90 eggs for Crown Tourney. 
• Worked on blanket stitching the edge of the braid case.
11. Crown Tourney, worked kitchen and setup, shenanigans.
12. Peeled and steeped lemons for Limoncello. 
13. Drafted Venetian bodice from saturday's fitting, realized I missed a couple of points >:[
14. Bought some embroidery books at the PSU book sale
• Went to Joanne's for bobbin lace thread.
15. Got 10 books out of the library to use in my weaving class. 
• Decanted and refilled limoncello peels.
16. Nithgaard A&S meeting.  
• Drafted up my weaving class while Andreas taught calligraphy. 
• Finished up limoncello and balanced the flavors.
17. Went to Æ War Practice!  
• Taught my first class "Whatcha' Wanna Weave?".
• Participated in the Brewer's Competition, won the Cordial category (only participant), got good reviews.  Volunteered to start the Boozy Food category.
• Was the Resident Scribe and found supplies for Maddoc to sign in an apprentice.
18. Worked the Scribal breakfast.
• Carved my first soap stone medallion! Thoroughly enjoyed Shea's class and giving him just enough hell for a new teacher to learn. 
• Went to the Brewer's mead tasting class and learned how to give an evaluation.
• Got great tokens at Court for teaching and winning the competition, and a nifty bar towel that I want to embroider the event on for participating.
• Found amazing pickling recipe!
• Made contacts with a pig farmer.
19. Worked the Scribal breakfast, again.
• Caught people to measure for dresses.
20. Made AEWP recap post.
• Researched linen for dresses.
• Made a list of all the projects I need to complete for Pennsic -____-
21. Started making scroll cases from leftover breakfast bread boxes.
22. Bought and washed linen for two kitchen dresses and two chemises.
23. Cut cardboard for 8 scroll cases.
24. Test out camping equipment for Pennsic.
25. Bought fiber for project
26. SCAdian family party.
27. Spent way too much money I don't have on stuff I will probably only ever use for Pennsic (got a roof rack!), dried out the tent.
28. Beet pickled motherfucking three dozen eggs.
29. BLOG ALL OF THE BLOGS!
30. Get 50 cigar boxes for scribal retreat.
31. Sew scroll cases.
    
32. (June 1) Scribal retreat: Macclesfield Psalter Pg 161
    
    
33. (2) Scribal retreat Part 2: Macclesfield Psalter Pg 170
34. (3) Put away everything from the past three weekends, start coordinating feast
35. (4) Ball up weaving silk
36. (5) Emotional Support Drea, talk through summer plans
37. (6) Nithgaard meeting, continue balling up silk
38. (7) Make a bliaut
39. (8) Scarlet Guard Inn
    
40. (9) Go to Pittsburgh Pride, scare Heavy fighters
41. (10) Make SCA resume
42. (11) Warp and start weaving
43. (12) Weave
44. (13) Nithgaard meeting, weave
45. (14) Didn't want to tame my hair, so I made a Birgitta coif and inset the first bobbin lace.
46. (15) Æthelmearc Æcademy 
47. (16) Beer Pickled Eggs
48. (17) Weave
49. (18) Finish weaving!
50. (19) Research "Ancient Deviled Eggs" and krupnik
51. (20) Meeting with Italian White Vine class! Start Om krupnik.
    
52. (21) Try to sell helmets
53. (22) Read about wild fermentation
54. (23) Read about Basque names, order library book
55. (24) Hood class outline
56. (25) Hibiscus mango krupnik, name research, print old handouts
57. (26) Coffee krupnik, Vigil organizing
58. (27) Spicy pickled eggs
59. (28) Make new shirt for Dave
60. (29) Kingdom For My Horse (so much fun!)
61. (30) 
62. (July 1) Buy way too much linen
63. (2) Cut out Helga Ball dress
64. (3) Sew together Helga Ball dress
65. (4) Hand finish seams
66. (5) Pack for PAX, fit dress
67. (6) PAX Interruptus, retaining
68. (7) Add gusset to Helga Ball dress, hunt down pizzelle press
69. (8) Jump on Jen's elevation dress
70. (9) Meet with Jen for fitting
71. (10) Orangello, dress bodice lining
72. (11) Honey Anise eggs, dress kickplate, Nithgaard potluck
73. (12) Bog Three Day, kitchen prep
74. (13) Bog Three Day, kitchen and retaining
75. (14) Venetian bodice
76. (15) Soy eggs, bodice
77. (16) Blueberry cordial, bodice
78. (17) Bodice
79. (18) Chipotle honey mango eggs, bodice
80. (19) National Museum of Art: 16c research
81. (20) Drive back from DC, post pictures
82. (21) Line bodice
83. (22) Line bodice
84. (23) Finish lining bodice
85. (24) Sleeve panels, viking underdress
86. (25) Decant boozes, Sleeve panels, viking underdress
87. (26) Class handout, Sleeve panels, viking underdress
88. (27) Tiki!viking dress and underdress
89. (28) Last viking under dress, and PENNSIC!
90. (29) Æthelmeark hospitality
91. (30) Get weighted loom form Hrolfr, start new set of garters.
92. (31) Take classes (Aztec Illumination)
93. (August 1) continue weaving
94. (2) Morning Troll, airport
95. (3) Archery, Process at Opening Ceremonies with BMDL, man radios at the Watch
96. (4) Finish apron dress, stamp cabbages on 28 aprons, HOLY SHIT SERVE VIGIL
97. (5) Finish weaving garters, stage makeup for Comedia
98. (6) Retain for TRH at Great Court
99. (7) Teach class, Cartridge pleat Venetian, serve Seven Pearls dinner
100. (8) Attach skirt to bodice, party like a Roman
101. (9) Tear down Æthelmeark Royal, host krupnic "competition"
102. (10) Close up camp and drive home.
103. (11) Three loads of laundry, two of dishes, put bulk items away

Plus so many things I forgot at Pennsic. I took Owen's whitework illumination class, Nicola's died parchment class, Aztec illumination and costuming, and German hats!  It was exhausting, amazing, and probably going to continue.

Salmonella or botulism?

Hopefully neither.

Pennsic, once again, is on the horizon. Having recently bought a car, bought a house, and lost my job means this year will need to be extra cheap.  So I'm canning eggs.

I picked up a case of 7.5 dozen eggs from Sam's Club for $11, 18 pint jars from Ollies for $12, and a gallon of apple cider vinegar for $3. All of the spices and canned beets were already in my pantry, and the jars are reusable, so it's pretty much $15 for an epic amount of portable, shelf stable protein.

In my research, I found everything from canned eggs lasting years in the basement to OMG EVERYTHING WILL KILL YOU, so, whatevs.  I don't plan on them surviving more than a month, so I'm not terribly concerned about over sterilizing everything.

I found a life hack that you can bake eggs at 325F for 30 minutes instead of having to deal with bringing water to a boil and whatnot.  It mostly came out ok!

1. Preheat oven to 325F (or 350F if your oven isn't reliable) while you place eggs into cupcake tins so they don't roll around.  Cook for 30 minutes.

• Normal cupcakes are ok, but mini cupcakes will let you fit twice as many.  My new oven is huge, so I can fit two trays on each rack, for a total of 8 dozen eggs at once.
• Unfortunately, I only had three mini cupcake tins, so I tried using a regular cupcake tin with two eggs in each cup.  Some of these eggs came out with soft spots >.>
• The eggs that were fully cooked had small charred brown spots where they were touching the tins.  It is ok and doesn't affect the rest of the pickling.

2. Pull cooked eggs out of the oven and cool down.

• Placing them in ice water helps the flesh retract from the shell (and keeps you from burning your fingers).

3. Shell eggs and place five in each pint jar.

• Some websites made a huge deal about only using unblemished eggs because pitting and splits are focus points for bacterias THAT WILL KILL YOU.  I don't think I managed to get more than half of them unscathed. 

4. Add spices and vinegar to jars, making sure to cover the eggs completely (because vinegar is a magic barrier, apparently) while leaving enough space at the top of the jar to create a vacuum.  Put lids on jars, leaving the rings loose so air can escape.

5. Put jars in canning pot with enough water to reach the top of the jars and bring to a rolling boil, making sure the contents of the jars are also heating up.  According to the Kuntz Family, who's canning instructions I was following, you want to make sure the contents reach 200F and are kept there for 15 minutes.

6. Use the forceps to pull the jars out. Unscrew the rings to give the jars a final burp, then screw them on tight again. Beware of molten brine shooting out in every direction >.>

7. Let cool on the counter top and await eagerly to hear the lids pop!  Now that the eggs have been pasteurized and sealed in a harsh environment, they should be safe to eat for at least a year if kept in a cool and dark environment.

Now, remember when I said some eggs came out with a soft spot?  You can microwave the peeled egg for 30 seconds to heat it up, but it won't heat enough to cook.  You can heat it up another 15 seconds with no problem, but once it hits 16, there might be a slight boom that blows the microwave door open.  Just so, like, you know.

The fun part will come in two weeks when we eat all of them in camp.  I made four jars with beets and twelve with six different spice combinations.  I will do my best to do a write up of the critique and spice blends when I get back.